Downtown Woodstock and downtown Canton are celebrating the coming of fall with their October First Friday events, which start at 6 p.m. in both cities. Stores will stay open late and the festivals promise to entertain the whole family.

Friday Night Live Oktoberfest festival will be tonight in downtown Woodstock, celebrating the coming of fall with German music and fall-themed attractions.

Downtown Canton will host a First Friday event tonight featuring local band Radiolucent, and has around 30 vendors lined up to participate.

Woodstock

Woodstock Director of Tourism and Visitors Center Operations, Kyle Bennett, said tonight’s festival will feature a downtown theme of Oktoberfest, based on a festival held annually in Germany.

“Probably the coolest thing that’s going on for the event is, we always have live musicians performing on the sidewalk for the event, but this month for Oktoberfest we actually have two German bands playing, so that will very much add to the Oktoberfest theme of the event,” Bennett said Thursday. “So there will be Polka music and other types of traditional German music going on along the sidewalk during the event.”

The Bavarian Duo, a German band, will be performing out in front of the Cupcakelicious store, and Copper Coin Coffee will feature Alias, Smith and Owens from 8 p.m. until 10 p.m.

Tony Mele will perform at Maxwell’s Cigar Bar from 6 until 11 p.m., and there will also be live music in front of the Seven Arrows store.

Bennett said that children and families would be able to enjoy the “scarecrow parade” that’s going on downtown.

“This Friday is a chance, during the event, to check out all the scarecrows that have been placed around town, and you can actually vote for your favorite scarecrow at the Visitors Center,” Bennett said.

Also for children, The Write Stuff Collectables store will have games, and there will be free pretzels and bratwurst bites.

Ice Martini Bar will celebrate its first anniversary during the event, and will take photos of guests as they walk down a blue carpet at 7 p.m.

FoxTale Book Shoppe is playing host to emerging authors for a book-signing from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The store’s guests include authors from a variety of genres, who will have five minutes to speak about their books before signing purchased copies.

Leaning Ladder will unveil their “Fall Collection” of oils and balsamic vinegar, and will provide face painting for children.

Many other stores will feature discounts and themed specials.

The festival will also include Teen Arts Night at the City Center from 6 to 8 p.m. and the iThink Improv Troupe at 9 p.m.

Canton

Downtown Canton’s First Friday celebration will feature tons of vendors and a focus on music, with special guest performers Radiolucent.

Meghan Griffin, Canton Main Street director, said that tonight’s band opened this past summer for Jamey Johnson and Merle Haggard at the Masquerade in Atlanta, and said Radiolucent “blew the crowd away.”

Griffin said Radiolucent will be set up on East Marietta Street, playing music reminiscent of “old Southern rock.”

“This First Friday is going to be continuing our concert and music theme that we’ve done for the past few months, with the Fiddleheads in August and Kona in September,” Griffin said Thursday. “This month we’re doing Radiolucent, who is a band out of Athens, Ga. They formed in 2007, and apparently have been gaining quite a following in the Southeast and in Rome.”

In addition to the headlining band, Griffin said there would be an acoustic performer in the square sponsored by The Painted Pig Tavern.

“Lots of shopping to do for the fall, I think we’re going to have a lot of fall vendors,” Griffin said. “I think we’re going to have close to 30 (vendors).”

Griffin said that, besides all of the festival’s attractions, the event will be a great chance for people to see the progress being made on the historic Jones Building downtown.

“The Jones building makes a good backdrop, so everybody can come and check out the work that’s being done,” Griffin said. “We have a lot of good stores. … I think it’s a really big family friendly event, it’s really fun for everybody. It makes a great date night, too!”

Griffin said there will be plenty of food vendors, good shopping as well as the Classic Car Show.

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